


Come My Way

by DemLunzel



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series), Helluva Boss (Web Series)
Genre: Asexual Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Cajun Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), F/F, F/M, Husk fought in the Vietnam War, Im not sure if the sonas’ characters equal the irl ppl, Im tempted to add the Hunicasts’ sonas for fun but like, Intersex Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), M/M, Multilingual Husk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:22:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22232473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DemLunzel/pseuds/DemLunzel
Summary: Various creatures live all throughout hell, known to be either strange, menacing or bothEach had their reason for being down thereSo why couldn’t she figure out hers?Unbeknownst to her, an imbalance of power was formingThe game of cat and mouse has begun
Relationships: Alastor & Husk (Hazbin Hotel), Alastor/Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Angel Dust & Cherri Bomb (Hazbin Hotel), Angel Dust & Molly (Hazbin Hotel), Charlie Magne/Vaggie, Husk/Hazel (OC), Millie/Moxxie (Helluva Boss)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 56





	1. Taking The Fall

The first thing she saw when she woke up was the painful beam of red light

The newfound demon groaned as she sat up, glancing around. She caught sight of a sign on a casino saying ‘Welcome to Hell’  
Either people really hated this place or.......

“HEY! GET A MOVE ON, BITCH!”

She was kicked aside with a grunt and a slightly pained noise, finally sitting up and getting her thoughts together

Vision clearing she saw....were those horns?

“I’m in Hell...” She mumbled to herself in disbelief, running a hand through her hair  
“Wait-“ She glanced down at her arms, then to her backside to find a little fluffy tail  
“Ohgod-“ Her bunny ears twitched

Finally managing to stand, her legs found themselves shaking a bit

“My name...have to remember....” She frowned in thought, “H...azel-Hazel”

Before she could recall anything else, a limo had pulled up and out came other demon

He was rather flashy, golden teeth and long coat with a puffy collar, hearts decorating it

It wasn’t the heart shaped sunglasses but the attitude he carried himself with that put Hazel off

He went up to the casino door before noticing the disoriented bunny demon  
“Well hello there, baby~”

Hazel’s ears stood on end, backing up a bit

“Valentino.” The pimp introduced himself flatly, “I have yet to get an employee who happens to be an *actual* bunny girl~”

“N-no.” It took her a moment to choke up the refusal

Valentino rose a brow, “I’m afraid that’s not an option, there ain’t any other bunny demons down here-and my business would fancy a cute one like you”

Hazel kept on backing up until she bumped into a few security guards behind her  
“I said no”

Before anyone could say anything the bunny demon punched a nearing Valentino and raced off

He snarled, “Get her”

Hazel found herself running down the streets of Hell, people seemingly uncaring as she raced by

Though some did glance over to her upon noticing her ears and tail

No other bunny demons? what was that supposed to mean?  
She supposed it kind of made sense seeing as bunnies were seen as more kind, harmless creatures, but why would she be the only one here?

Then again, why *is* she here??? She didn’t remember doing anything awful-not enough to warrant eternal damnation anyhow

“SHE’S OVER THERE!” A guard turned a corner at blinding speed, Hazel trying her best to run faster

Getting into a crowd hadn’t done much to slow them down, but maybe...

She took another turn and leapt up on one of the nearby fire exits of an abandoned building, jumping inside

The guards raced down the alleyway

“Where the fuck did she go?” One grumbled out in frustration

Hazel knelt down and put her hand over her mouth, trying not to make a sound

Another one grunted, “Probably leapt over that fuckin fence. We’ll find her later”

She waited several minutes until she was sure they were gone, ears flattened as she peeked out

The bunny demon groaned, she couldn’t stay here-let alone live like this.  
No one here seems to care much about anyone else’s well being, so she couldn’t exactly ask for help....

No, she had to find refuge somewhere

Hazel froze as she heard another limo pull up.  
Glancing out, she prayed it wasn’t Valentino and sighed in relief when she saw a blonde demon and a strange red one step out

“Come on, Al I know we’ll find clients somewhere” The blonde one began, “It’s just a matter of waiting”

Hazel frowned at the word ‘clients’

“Dear, I can never tell you this enough times but this endeavor of yours to ‘redeem’ sinners is far more entertaining than anything” Alastor responded with a chuckle

Her ears perked up, ‘redeem’?  
Her eyes followed them to a hotel they walked into, her tail twitching a bit

“Just have to get there...” She mumbled, climbing down the fire escape

The bunny demon didn’t dare rush across, not when her anxiety screamed those guards were somehow still nearby

She silently took a step, glancing around

There weren’t many people around the hotel but after overhearing that conversation it was to be expected

Hazel let out a sigh of relief once she made it to the door, raising a fist to knock  
She bit her lip in hesitation  
Squeezing her eyes shut, she finally managed three knocks

It wasn’t long before that same blonde demon greeted her  
“Oh my gosh... YOU’RE A BUNNY DEMON!” Charlie squealed and immediately pulled her in for a hug, “Oh oh! Welcome to the Happy-“

“Hazbin!” Alastor cut in

Charlie rolled her eyes, “Hazbin Hotel!”

Hazel opened and closed her mouth in slight shock at the joy radiating off this particular demon  
“Uh-thanks”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before” Alastor bent down to take a closer look

The bunny demon paused before begrudgingly saying, “I just got here.... to Hell I mean”

“You recently died?” Vaggie went up to her, finding she and Hazel were the same height  
“You really are the only bunny demon here...” She mumbled under her breath

“Everyone’s been saying that” Hazel groaned, “I don’t even know why I’m down her-“ She squeaked as a much taller demon took a look at her

“Ya didn’t happen to run into a pimp, have ya?” Was the first thing he asked

She froze, “He was the first one to talk to me-really tacky coat and sunglasses. Fluffy co-“

“-llar with black hearts” He finished, “Valentino...”

“You know him?” The bunny demon blinked

“I’m his ‘prized employee’” He huffed, rubbing one of his arms  
He quickly shook his head, “Name’s Angel Dust, toots”

“Oh! I’m Charlie!” The demon princess was quick to introduce herself, “That’s Alastor and Vaggie a-“

“New person?” Nifty stopped dusting and shot up like a puppy, “HI! I’m Nifty! You don’t happen to have a man with you do ya?” The cyclops demon looked around, “Aw....” She pouted among finding none

“Uhm, hey” Hazel spoke between laughter, “Uh, I remember my name being Hazel” She shrugged

“You’re our second client next to Angel!” Charlie cheered, turning to Alastor, “See? I told you we just had to wait!”

The radio demon rolled his eyes in disbelief

The bunny demon seemed to relax a bit before another problem suddenly came to her mind  
“I...don’t have any money” She looked at them with guilt in her eyes

“You don’t gotta pay” Vaggie mentioned flatly, “Charlie’s got money and you can stay rent free”

Hazel quirked a brow, “Wait what?”

“Exactly! The princess of Hell will always be prepared for such projects!” Alastor grinned a bit smugly

Hazel’s eyes widened to ungodly proportions, “Well fuck.” She facepalmed

“Oh no no-“ Charlie reassured, “I don’t like doing things my parents’ way” She sighed, “I want to try and redeem those who don’t truly deserve, well, this” She gestured towards a window

The bunny demon looked at her with slight caution, “Alright” She huffed in defeat

“Great!” Charlie beamed, “We’ll get a room ready!” She rushed off with Vaggie, nearly jumping away

Hazel blinked before catching sight of a nearby mirror  
She hadn’t seen her new form yet

Walking up to it, she almost couldn’t believe her eyes

Short, peach colored fur was the first thing she noticed, followed by waist length hair.  
“Pink hair...” Hazel mumbled as she ran her hand through an individual bang that curled a bit in front of her eye. Her eyelashes seemed somewhat similar to Vaggie’s but other than that, she didn’t quite have much trouble getting used to everything

“Taken a good first look, huh?” Angel walked up to her

The bunny demon nodded, “It’s pretty jarring”

“Ha, you think that’s jarring, you should’a seen me when I was tryin to get used to these new arms!” He moved the ones on his waist, “That was a real shit show”

Hazel couldn’t help but laugh at the idea, “Good thing you managed to get used to ‘em then”

“Mhm. So whatcha down here for anyway?” Angel rose a brow, “Ya kill someone?”

She froze up, “Uh- I mean I’ve been pretty bitchy towards some people and....does being pessimistic count for anything?”  
The bunny demon didn’t dare mention her relatives, deciding to stay on the down low for that until she trusted them more. Far more.

Angel laughed, “Guess we’ll see that bitchy side of yours when ya finally process this shit”

“Guess so...” Hazel gave a slight nod, rubbing her throat a little, “Is there any water here or-?”

“Here.” A gruff voice spoke up as a bottle of water was tossed to her  
“If ya ask me ya shoulda went for booze” Husk took another swig of his own

Hazel blinked, “You’re quiet” She deadpanned

“No fucking shit” The cat demon grunted, “Take the damn water”

The bunny demon narrowed her eyes before mumbling over to Angel, “Maybe you won’t have to wait to see that bitchiness”


	2. A winning hand

Hazel groaned as she awoke the next morning, sitting up. Sleeping after dying was....well, it’s a trip  
She shook her head and changed

“CEASE AND DESIST” Alastor’s voice was the first thing that she heard

Vaggie put her head in her hands, trying to ignore Angel’s insistent flirting

“Well if you ask me, you’re passin up the time of your life~” The spider demon hummed out in a sultry tone

Alastor narrowed his eyes, “Hence why we’re all dead”

Hazel blinked, “Uh, is this nor-“

“It’s very normal” Vaggie and Charlie replied in unison

She rose a brow, “O...kay then. I’ll just-“, Hazel backed up, the bar currently being the only place where there was, ironically, no chaos

“Slut” Husk drawled out before taking another swig of his booze

Angel sent him a look, “Hey!”

“Oh fucking hell...” Vaggie groaned, “Angel can you PLEASE not be a total pain in the ass?”

The spider demon looked at her, “Hey, Im a total pleasure in the ass”  
He sent her a shit eating grin

“Wow” Hazel averted her gaze, not quite sure how to respond to the straightforwardness

“Ain’t that right, Husky baby~?” Angel sauntered on over to the bar

The cat demon snarled, “How about I shank you?” He shot back

“How about we do none of that?” Hazel deadpanned before she could stop herself

Angel rolled his eyes, “So you’ll think about my offer~?”

“No” Husk flatly said, “Fuck off”

“Only if y- AH OKAY I’M GOIN I’M GOIN” The spider demon jumped back when he heard the bottle crash

Nifty rushed over to clean up the mess, a smile never leaving her face

“You really like keeping things clean, huh?” Hazel glanced over to the cyclops demon.  
It was odd to think someone so sweet ended up in Hell of all places. Though she supposed everyone had their reasons...

“Mhm!” Nifty nodded, “Messes just drive me crazy” Her pupil thinned as she said that, making Hazel back up a bit in slight worry

Ah. There was the reason.

“Well try not to get yourself cut” The bunny demon looked at the glass warily, “How did you do that without flinching?” She turned to Husk

He didn’t even turn to look at her, “Easy. I don’t give a fuck”

Hazel rose a brow, her eyes trailing to the pattern on his wings  
‘Gambler...’ She internally mumbled, glancing over to Al  
‘Hunter- mafia criminal?’ She had looked at Angel by now, the accent giving him away

The bunny demon found herself looking back at Husk. It didn’t take a genius to know he was troubled. Extremely so.  
Shaking her head, she suddenly noticed a nearby deck of cards 

“Hearts, queen, spades, joker... bleh” She mumbled out the cards she knew before beginning to stack them in her boredom

Husk set down his bottle, “............the fuck are you doing-?”

“Uhm. Hopefully not getting shanked?” Hazel shrugged, a playful, yet sheepish smile on her face

The cat demon rose a brow, about to retort, but he shook his head and simply took another swig of his booze

Hazel bit her lip as she balanced a fifth row of cards, trying not to let a curious Angel Dust distract her  
“OH COME ON-!” She groaned as they fell down for the fifth time

Husk couldn’t help but chuckle out of pity, “You really don’t know how to use those fuckin cards do ya, toots?”

“Yeah yeah. And I bet you’re the Houdini of Hell” She shot back with a sharp tone

The cat demon looked at her for a moment before the cards all hovered over to him, much to her shock

Husk smirked at her expression before said cards suddenly all turned into bunnies, hopping onto Hazel

She froze, “............bullshit”

“‘Fraid not, dollface” Husk took another swig, now more smug than ever

Hazel’s hands slammed down, “BULL-FUCKING-SHIT” She tried to balance out holding all the bunnies while looking for the missing cards  
“Where’d you put them, asshole?”

“You’re holding them” The cat demon responded simply

She just responded with a bitter pout. Honestly Hazel should’ve expected this, but it didn’t exactly make it any less surprising

“Hey he never showed the rest of us magic tricks!” Angel whined

Husk glared, “‘Cause I got standards about my audience” He said flatly, the bunnies all hovering to form a tower before turning right back into a simple deck of cards, never moving away from the tower design

“Woah...” The bunny demon watched with stars in her eyes

Vaggie blinked, “Didn’t know he could do all-that” She whispered to her girlfriend

“Neither did I” Charlie grinned, “It’s so cute!”

“I ain’t cute” A suit of diamonds suddenly shot by the demon princess, just barely avoiding her

“HEY!” Vaggie held up her spear, “DON’T YOU DARE HURT HER!”

“Calm the fuck down, bitch” Husk rolled his eyes, “She’s the one that accepted Alastor’s help. She should expect this shit”

The moth demon hissed in frustration

Hazel watched them silently, not exactly sure what she should do

“Vaggie it’s okay, I know how to defend myself” Charlie placed a hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder, “Besides-“ She whispered, “He missed on purpose”

Husk’s ear flicked when he heard that, growling despite not denying her statement  
He simply went back to enjoying his booze

“Hey Al, why don’t you show me a little magic~?” Angel smirked as he looked at radio demon

Alastor rolled his eyes, “I’m afraid I’m all out of magic for the day, though tricks on the other hand-“

Angel found himself falling over a certain mic

“That I have plenty of” Al smirked

Husk couldn’t help but smirk as well at the sight. He was about to make another sarcastic comment when-

“Here” Hazel held out a small drawing she made of Husk’s bunny card tower

He blinked, “.....the fuck is this?”

“I thought your trick was cool so I did a little concept drawing of it” The bunny demon shrugged, “I don’t have any money so I had to pay somehow”

Husk opened and closed his mouth, but no words came out, “That shit was on the house I guess. Seeing you so fuckin confused was payment enough” He let out a laugh

“First off, fuck you-“

Another laugh

“Second off-“ Hazel pouted, “I like magic tricks so excuuuuuuse me”

“For someone who likes magic tricks you don’t exactly know how to use a deck of cards” Husk messed with he deck he had in his hands

She rolled her eyes, “Well for someone that hates affection you got a lotta heart patterns on you”

“Those are patterns of the card suits!” The cat demon immediately defended

“And we allll know what hearts symbolize” Hazel teased

“Fuck. You.” Husk growled

She smirked, “No, pretty sure it means ‘love’, but go off I guess”

He sent her a look

“Okay okay, how about you teach me to play poker then?” Hazel suggested

Husk hummed at that, not noticing the confused looks from the others

Vaggie opened her mouth to say something but was quickly shushed by Angel  
“Hey-!”

“Shut up!” The spider demon huffed

“Depends. What are we bettin on, toots?” Husk set down the deck, “You did just say you don’t got any cash in ya”

Hazel opened her mouth to answer but suddenly froze, “..............shit”

“Pft. What do you plan on usin? Fuckin kisses?” Husk drawled sarcastically

She narrowed her eyes and joked right on back, “Well fine then! Why don’t we?”

“.....where did you four get popcorn-?” Vaggie blinked as she heard the others chewing on the snack

“Shhh-“ Alastor shushed her, “This is certainly the kind of entertainment I have yet to see”

Angel pouted, “Well that wouldn’t be the case if you looked at my work”

“Not that kind of entertainment, you absolute heathen of a spider” The radio demon deadpanned

Angel rolled his eyes and wordlessly used an arm to hand some popcorn down to a very excited Nifty

“Are we deadass actually going to do this?” Hazel noted how Husk already began to deal out the cards, “We can’t play for nothing or some shit?”

“I don’t play for nothing” The cat demon responded flatly.

“Husk, my kisses are basically nothing” Hazel deadpanned

He rose a brow before checking his hand of cards, “Better get a good fuckin poker face then”

Hazel pouted.

“Ya ain’t gonna get anywhere close to winning like that, doll” Husk smirked a bit

Vaggie shook her head and sighed, “Charlie. I was trying to tell you that Angel tried to sneak in some drugs again” She held up a bag

“.....god fUCKING DAM-“ The spider demon quickly picked up Nifty and ran.

“ANGEL! DON’T INVOLVE HER IN THIS!” Alastor glared, his smile growing aggressive as he chased after the two

“Wow. They lasted being peaceful for about five seconds” Hazel snickered

Husk shrugged, “Ain’t that how it always is?” He placed in a few more chips

“What do I get if I win?” The bunny demon asked curiously

He had to hold back his gruff laughter, “A fuckin kiss on the lips”, Husk shook his head, “No offense, dollface, but no one beats me”

“BET”

—-

“......I really hate the shit out of you right now” Hazel groaned, letting her face fall flat against a mess of cards

Husk merely took another swig of his booze, “Told ya”

“You’re a jackass” She huffed

The cat demon rolled his eyes, “I’d say you’re a sore loser but you ain’t like the bastards that’d start a bar fight over this crap”

“Thank you?” Hazel blinked, “Though I’m pretty sure *you* have”

A smirk played on Husk’s lips, “Can’t start a bar fight over losing if you’ve never lost”

“Ohhh the cat has an unbeatable record, huh?” She quirked a brow, “You cheat?”

“I can’t confirm or deny that” He kept drinking

Hazel’s lips tightened and made a small sound of irritation, “Well then maybe someone will out cheat you”

“Listen, I got these shitty symbols on me for a reason” Husk spread a wing for emphasis, “I know all the tricks in the book”

The bunny demon narrowed her eyes, “Challenge accepted”

“Ya *just* learned how to play poker, how the fuck are ya gonna manage that shit?” He deadpanned

Hazel nearly pulled herself up atop the cards to get closer to Husk, as a form of intimidation  
“Cause I make my own rules”

“That so?” Husk set his booze down, “Ya make your own rules for gravity too?”

“Whaddya me-AAAH SHIT-“ Hazel squeaked as she was gently shoved, nearly falling to the ground  
She blinked when she felt herself get caught by Husk’s wing  
“Ugh” The bunny demon promptly flipped him off, only making him more proud of himself

“Woulda told ya to hold onto your tits and let ya fall but even I ain’t that much of a jackass” He picked up his booze

“Oh, my prince charming” Hazel drawled out, her words laced with nothing but sarcasm

Charlie held back a squee as she saw them nearby, thankfully unnoticed  
“I think my hotel’s finally working!” She looked over to Vaggie, eyes filled with hope

“I-guess so” The moth demon nodded, still highly skeptical of there being any redeeming qualities in Husk. Even if Nifty constantly mentioned the magic tricks he performed for her when she was feeling down

Charlie sighed, “One day everyone here will know they can be good...if they just have something to be good for....”

Vaggie paused at that, glancing back at her. The light in her eyes and the smile that came to her face was enough to make the moth demon feel better. Maybe even a bit hopeful  
“Yeah...I guess so....”


	3. Reasons

Hazel felt herself jump when she heard several shots, and shortly following, screams

The casino she’d been walking past now had a broken wall, debris trapping a woman underneath

She froze for a moment before rushing over  
“Are you okay?!”

“Get me out! Get me out please!” The woman begged

Hazel bit her lip before forcing some of the fallen wall pieces off her, grunting as she did so  
Cuts and bruises formed on her hands

“Shit-!” The woman tried to pull her loosely trapped ankle out, panicking

“Okay just breathe, I got you” Hazel slowly lifted the final bit of debris before she suddenly heard tires screeching  
She glanced back and a runaway car was headed for the casino, her eyes widened

“HURRY!” The poor woman kept trying to free herself

“I don’t think I can get this off!” Hazel groaned, growing tired. Her panic only increasing by the second  
“Is there anything you can grab onto? Push yourself off?!” Her heart was racing, everything seemed to stop

The woman glanced up at her  
“...Yes. There is”

Hazel shrunk back at the look before she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, the woman shoving her to the ground as she freed herself

Hazel cried out in pain when her head hit the pavement

More screeching

The car hit her, immense pain shot through her entire body before...it stopped

—

Hazel’s eyes shot open, gasping a bit  
“God...”

She sat up, running hand through her hair

Still in hell. Lovely. 

Sighing, the bunny demon got out of bed and got herself ready for the day  
Which honestly at this point mainly was just trying to in a sense, ‘redeem’ herself

That dream-nightmare...whatever it was, seemed so vivid

Hazel waved it off and headed into the lobby

“Good morning!” Charlie greeted with a smile

She forced a light smile onto her face as she returned the greeting, “‘Morning”  
The bunny demon sat down and took out her new phone, surprised there was even such a system down in hell

Vaggie frowned, glancing over to the pentagram  
“Something’s wrong” She grabbed Charlie’s shoulder

The princess blinked in surprise, “What do you mean?”

“The pentagram, I saw it glitch” Vaggie quickly explained

Charlie quirked a brow before she snickered, “Come on, Vaggie, it’s not some pile of tech. Maybe you just need some rest” Her expression softened, “You’ve been working super hard lately”

“I-“ The moth demon opened her mouth to argue, but found herself unable to when she saw the concern in her girlfriend’s eyes  
“...fine”

One of Hazel’s ears twitched as she had overheard the issue of the pentagram glitching

“Pf, people are losin’ their shit over nothin’” Angel waved off as he leaned against the bar

Al rose a brow in disbelief, “Well I must admit, the concept in of itself is quite curious...”

“No” Husk immediately refused, “Don’t you fuckin’ drag me into this horse shit”

Alastor laughed, “Don’t worry, my friend! This shall be a memory we’ll fondly look back on”

“I doubt that” The cat demon’s ears flattened, making Angel snicker

Hazel glanced over to the three, trying to ignore the forming headache she felt

With a sigh, she found herself heading up back to her room  
It was actually better than she had been expecting

Large living area, kitchen, dinner table, even a little area that lead to the bedroom  
The bunny demon decided to go in, and out the open balcony  
It faced the front of the hotel, so she had a pretty good view of everything

Her eyes trailed up to the pentagram and her ears fell a bit  
“What did I do...?” She whispered softly, her voice breaking

Husk had snuck out of the hotel to try and ignore Alastor’s constant pestering, and of course to leave him with a certain spider demon  
He shook his head and spread his wings, not usually using them often, but today was an exception that didn’t involve fighting

The cat demon flew upwards, before he noticed something out of the corner of his eye  
“What’re ya doin mopin around like that?”

Hazel gasped and turned when she heard his voice, “Oh- I uh. I just needed some air and I....” She glanced over the sight of the city

Husk immediately understood, “Eh, if it ain’t makin me do extra work-“ He spread his wings and was about to take off, but he froze when he saw how Hazel gazed away  
He sighed  
“It’s normal to have nightmares and shit, ya know, a few days after ya end up here, and wonderin why ya ended up in this fuckin shithole”

“That’s...that’s what’s confusing me” She finally admitted, “Hell, it isn’t like what the living world portrayed it as”  
The bunny demon furrowed her brows, “Often times it’s considered to be like a flat wasteland, sinners being punished for their crimes...but it’s, it’s all so *lively*”

That made Husk stare at her in shock. That was the first time he’s ever heard anyone describe hell like that

“I know there’s obviously a lot of differences-morals don’t hold many back, laws are unhinged...it’s kind of like living in some dangerous place in the living world” Hazel sighed, “It’s all so different than I thought it’d be”

“Don’t get too attached, toots, ya know there’s exterminations every year and some fuckers will jump at the chance to kill or even rape ya” The cat demon deadpanned

She shrugged, “I figured. But I can’t help but wonder that if Hell is so much more different than people preached, maybe the reasons for ending up here are different too”

“The fuck are you talkin about?” Husk was confused at this point

Hazel turned her gaze back to him, “I mean, I didn’t drink, I didn’t kill, I don’t do drugs unless you consider the ones you get prescribed from a doctor, I haven’t had sex other than being pressured once...” She bit her lip in shame, “I just feel that maybe I made some huge mistake along the way, one that I didn’t even realize”

The cat demon froze at that, “What, so you didn’t even commit any crimes or shit like that?”

She shook her head

Husk stared at her for a moment before realization struck him, “...Ya ain’t supposed to be down here”

“What?”

“I said ya ain’t supposed to be down here” He repeated

Hazel blinked, “But there has to be a reason! I mean they wouldn’t just make a mistake like that”

The cat demon felt his tail sway in irritation as a few ideas came to his mind, “Those angels ain’t as ‘angelic’ as ya think” He hissed

She rose a brow, “We don’t know that for sure...memories can be altered, right?”

‘The fact that you’re tryin to defend those fuckers should be proof enough’ Husk thought to himself

“Besides...if people can thrive in a place like this-then maybe it means they’ve made their own personal heaven” Hazel hummed

Husk let out a forced laugh, “C’mon, doll. Ya know these jackasses are at risk of dyin all the fuckin time. Ya don’t exactly get the VIP treatment down here”

“I know it’s just, they have that one little thing...their own drug” She mumbled, “Something that keeps them going”

The cat demon opened his mouth to retort but paused and grunted in response

Hazel let out a sad chuckle, “Believe me, I know a lot of people are real shitheads. But I know there’s something, a kind of happiness that just worth living for, no matter how fleeting. That’s what made hell end up thriving in a sense, right?”

Husk stared at her with an unreadable expression  
Her positivity was different than Charlie’s, he’d say that much

“I know there are demons too far gone and some people don’t want to or just can’t change” Hazel frowned, “But if people truly want anything, it’s happiness. There’s too many souls for *everyone* to just end up being heartless”

The cat demon sighed and thought for a moment  
“Ya afraid of heights?”

“Uh, no. Why?” She quirked a brow in confusion before suddenly finding herself picked up bridal style  
“EEP! Husk what’re you-“

“Just hold on” Husk spread his wings and took off

Hazel had wrapped her arms around his shoulders, nuzzling her face into his neck on instinct

He tried to ignore any warmth that came to his face and the tips of his ears and just made sure to hug her close so she wouldn’t fall

The bunny demon let out a gentle gasp when she turned, “Woah...”  
Her eyes trailed over the gentle red glow of the sky and pentagram, the several lights that accompanied it from down below.  
“You know....ignoring all the stupid fucks- hell is...actually kinda beautiful”

Husk held back a laugh of disbelief at that, “Only you would say that, doll, only you”  
He landed in a crevice of a rather tall building, the view now more full of lights and life than ever

Hazel’s expression softened as she saw everything

“I go here sometimes when the strawberry shithead gets to annoyin”  
The cat demon grunted

Hazel snorted at the nickname, “Does anyone else know about this place?”

“Just Nifty” Husk shrugged, “She’s like a little sister to me and all that sentimental crap”

“Awww” 

“Don’t awe me” The cat demon warned

Hazel just smiled warmly and let out a gentle laugh, “Alright alright”

Husk barely noticed but he swore his heart skipped a beat  
He sighed and pried his gaze from her, just enjoying the oddly calm moment

“Hey Husk?” A soft voice spoke up

“Hm?”

“Thanks”

He let himself look at her again, “‘Course, doll”


	4. Pawns at play

There was insistent knocking on the door  
“Hazel! Get the fuck up!”

The bunny demon groaned and turned, far from eager to leave the comfort of her bed  
“No......” She whined

“Me and Al are gonna try and getta closer look and the pentagram!” Angel shouted, “You’re gonna miss out!”

She pouted, “Tiiiirrrred....”

The spider demon rolled his eyes, “Aiight but that’s on you”  
He turned on his heel and left

When Hazel finally pulled the covers off her, it was apparent she hadn’t gotten much sleep to begin with  
Bags were under her eyes and she looked as of she could collapse at any second  
“Maybe staying up until 3 am playing angel crush wasn’t such a good idea”

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up, grabbing her discarded phone and opening her instagram 

The bunny demon never posted any photos of herself-she mainly had the app to follow cute comic accounts and laugh at some fandom memes  
This time she noticed several messages

‘angie_fluffy_bootz’; Heya toots! Bout time ya gotta insta!’

Hazel snorted at the message, ‘Hey Angel. Sorry I couldn’t get up. I’m a dumbass 🤣’

She exited out of the chat only to see more messages

‘Princess.Of.Hell; AAAAAAAAAAA WE CAN SEND EACH OTHER WHOLESOME MEMES NOW’

She blinked a few times, “Something tells me I’m gonna get spammed...”  
Her eyes trailed down to three other accounts  
“‘Goth.Moth.’, ‘babyfeathrdustr’ and....’bar_cat75’”  
Hazel rose a brow, “Yep, usernames are pretty obvious” 

The bunny demon didn’t see any from Alastor, although when it came to him and visually advanced tech, it was to be expected

“Did Husk leave with Al and Angel?” Hazel came down, noticing the bartender missing

“Mhm” Vaggie hummed, “Just glad they didn’t drag the rest of us along”

She furrowed her brows, “I thought you were worried about the pentagram?”

The moth demon sighed, “I am, I just don’t trust those three to help me do anything”

Hazel shrugged, fair enough reasoning she supposed

“Well you made the right decision” Charlie gave Vaggie a quick kiss, “You’ve been working yourself to the bone and you need a break”

Vaggie pouted, but had no retort

“Alright I’ll just-“ Hazel stared down at the messages she had gotten before an aching pain overwhelmed her heart  
She used to be able to speak to her friends in the living world...  
Now? She may never see them again  
Did she ever say any proper goodbyes? Did she leave any unread messages?

This was why the bunny demon hated complete silence. It allowed for her thoughts to run far too rampant  
Still....she missed them

Vaggie frowned a bit, “Hey, you okay?”

“Huh?” She blinked, “Yeah I’m okay”

Charlie huffed, “Doesn’t look like it....was there anyone in the living word close to you?”

Hazel averted her gaze, “Just close friends” She explained

“And family?” The princess pressed on

Hazel suddenly stood up, “I think I might need a few more hours of sleep” She said bluntly, “Thank you for your concern though!”  
Her tone was genuine, but there was another feeling; Fear

“She’s obviously hiding something” Vaggie frowned

Charlie sighed, “Maybe, but I don’t think it’s anything that’d end up hurting us” She reassured

-

“For the last fuckin time, there aint nothin’!” Husk growled at the radio demon next to him

Al rose a brow, “Well something is clearly off”

“Didn’t think a pentagram could look pissed” Angel snorted

Husk narrowed his eyes, “I don’t exactly blame it”

“Hmmm...this may just have to do with Charlie’s endeavor” Alastor reasoned

Angel crossed his arms, “Nothin even happened yet! Just a buncha sinners ‘tryin’ to be better”

“Perhaps” The radio demon hummed, “But there’s clearly more at play here”

Husk fell silent at that. He knew Al long enough to know when he was being serious, and right now he was definitely not messing around  
“Ya think the princess can talk to her parents ‘bout this?” He suggested, “They oughta know more”

“Charlie’s emotions will blind her” Alastor let his mic disappear, “You’ve already seen how stubborn she is about this project”

“And if we suggest it might be causin some problems she won’t wanna hear it” Angel shook his head

The radio demon nodded, “It’s time we speak to their majesties ourselves”

-

She couldn’t fall back asleep  
“UuuggggAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH” The bunny demon screamed into her pillow, starting to wish she could go back in time

At least then she could’ve said her goodbyes...

Maybe she could ask an angel to send those messages...surely if hell existed guardian angels did too  
If anyone was worthy of having those, it was her friends

She just needed to get in contact with one...

-

It wasn’t easy to get to Lucifer’s manor.

Security was at it’s absolute highest there, not that anyone could blame them. With the people that resided in hell the chances of assassinations was too much

At the very least the status of the three demons visiting was enough to get them in with less of a hassle

“Your majesties?” A servant knocked on a rather elegant bedroom door  
“You have guests”

Lucifer groaned, groggily watching Lilith sit up  
“No appointment...fuckers better not be tryin to mess with my sleep....”

“I’m sure they’re not” His wife let herself get more properly dressed, “We’ll be out in a moment!”

The servant nodded, gesturing for the other three to wait

“Are ya sure this is a good idea?” Husk frowned, “Dumbasses just woke up, they ain’t exactly gonna be in the mood to hear this shit”

“Well the sooner we let them know the better” Al chuckled

“What happened to everythin just bein a game to ya?” Angel lounged around overdramatically, eyes glued to his phone

Alastor sent him a flat look, “Can’t exactly have a game with no pawns. This is something we must tread along carefully”

“I wanna be surprised it’s you three but somehow I’m fucking not” Lucifer suddenly deadpanned

“Your majesties” The radio demon gave a curt little bow, “We’ve come here in regards to your daughter”

Lilith rose a brow, “Is she alright?”

“She’s fine” Husk cut in, wanting to get this over with, “A lotta demons have been seein the pentagram gettin a little messed up and we figured you may know what’s goin on”

“That shitty thing hasn’t changed since my fall” Lucifer groaned, “What makes you all think it’s acting up now?”

Al furrowed his brows, “We have reason to believe it may have something to do with Charlie’s attempts at getting sinners into heaven”

Husk suddenly froze, “Ya think that it’d react the same way if someone that wasn’t supposed to end up in hell did anyway?”

Lucifer sent them all a sharp look, “That’s not possible. How the fuck and why the fuck would anyone like that end up down here?”

Angel didn’t look up from his phone, “It did start glitchin not too long after Hazel ended up here”

The cat demon’s ears suddenly flattened, “Shit...”

Something told him this wasn’t just a simple mistake


	5. All in

Hazel rushed down the stairs and into the lobby, “Charlie, I need to talk to your dad” She mentioned to the princess, voice firm but pleading

“Wait *what*?” Vaggie frowned, “Lucifer isn’t exactly the kind of person for casual talk with any random sinner”

Charlie nodded, “She’s right, plus you only landed here a few days ago. I don’t think he’d have the time to talk”

Hazel fell silent, this was too important for her to brush off...not without it hanging over her head forever

“Maybe we can still help” The princess insisted

“....”  
—

Alastor hummed, “So it seems Hazel is the cause of the glitching in the pentagram. Perhaps we should sacrifice her to the angels during the next extermination!”

Husk stiffened, she already didn’t deserve the shit she got when she first fell into hell  
“Or we could see what bullshit they have planned instead of just usin her as an offerin’”

“Why Husker, is that care I hear in your tone?” Alastor’s ear flicked, grin widening in a somehow, more amused manner

The cat demon glared, “Ya know how the exterminators work. They ain’t ever satisfied. Besides they sent her down here on purpose”

“What makes ya say that?” Angel quirked a brow, “We hardly know her, she could’ve been a murderer or a drug dealer for all we know”

“She acts quite well mannered, Angel” Alastor retorted

“Hey she could be a good ass actor!” Angel shot back in defense, “Ya know how it is, ain’t nobody that ends up down here is kind and sweet. Even the princess didn’t come from the living world. She’s half angel for fuck’s sake”

Husk’s sharp glare was now on Angel, “Let’s just wait this shit out for now before we do anythin even more stupid”

The three entered the hotel, only to be met with a very sad bunny demon speaking to Charlie and Vaggie

“There aren’t any guardian angels...?” Her voice trembled a bit

“There are few to none, at least ones that interact with the living” Vaggie sighed, “I’m sorry but there’s no way to get your message through”

Hazel took in a sharp breath. There really was no way....All she could do was live in hell knowing that she left her friends confused and in mourning...?

They’d end up in heaven for sure, and she’d never be able to see them again...

“Well come now, enough with those frowns!” Alastor chimed, “We need to lighten the mood in here!”

“I dont think ya’ 20s music is gonna help” Angel deadpanned, crossing the lower set of his arms, the upper set on his hips

“That’s enough from you” Al shoved him aside

Vaggie groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose, “Can we n-“  
She paused when she saw Charlie’s pleading eyes. The princess adored music far too much  
“........Fine”

“Excellent!” Alastor twirled his mic, a tune beginning to play from it

Angel huffed, “We got phones ya know” He narrowed his eyes, “We don’t need ya mic for music”

Alastor turned his head all the way around to face him before his entire body followed, “I beg your pardon?” His pupils slowly turned into radio dials

“Ya heard me!” Angel boldly said

Hazel seemed unable to hear anything they were saying, hearing nothing but a ringing noise in her head.

“Are you okay?” Nifty frowned a bit when she saw her state, “You really need to rest” The cyclops insisted

Hazel sighed in defeat, they’d be alright anyways, she didn’t exactly have much to offer to them or anyone...she just wanted one final farewell at least

Yet even that wasn’t possible

Nifty leapt up, placing a hand on Hazel’s shoulder for comfort  
“It’s gonna okay you know, you’ll adjust”

The bunny demon quietly averted her gaze

“A lot of people die and leave a lot of things uncompleted in their life” Nifty said, “I just don’t think they make exceptions”

“Even if that exception is a few seconds to send a goodbye?” Hazel meekly whispered  
Those people were like family to her. To be thrown into hell of all places, surrounded by people she didn’t know, she felt even more alone than she did when she was alive

Honestly she lucked out in finding the hotel

“Why don’t we get you a little more settled in with how things work down here?” Nifty suggested, smiling just a bit

Hazel let out a gentle laugh, letting the maid lead her away, “You’re already dragging me off but sure”

Husk went over to Charlie and Vaggie, tail swaying in irritation, “They’re plannin somethin ya know”

He didn’t have to specify who ‘they’ was

“I know, I just, I don’t know what to do. This hasn’t happened at all before” Charlie ran a hand through her hair, “Not during my existence”

Alastor and Angel picked up on the conversation, discreetly getting closer to make themselves a part of it

“Maybe, but there were probably some like her that went unnoticed” Vaggie sighed, “She likely stands out because the idea of her deserving to suffer eternal damnation is too much of a stretch”

Husk froze as the realization hit him like a truck  
‘𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 *𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦* 𝘵𝘰 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴’  
His eyes widened, “When’s the next extermination?!”

Charlie felt herself become a bit panicked, “In nine days-?”

‘𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘤𝘩’

“It’s a hunt....” Husk stared flatly, “They put her down here for their own entertainment!”

“If that’s the case then they’re probably fighting for a prize” Vaggie reasoned, placing her hand on Charlie’s shoulder

“Maybe there is no prize-?” Charlie suggested hopefully. A prize would only form more motivation and make this all the more deadly after all

The cat demon growled, “The entertainment ain’t enough. I’d know. Whatever they’re gamblin for it’s somethin they’ll want to win at all costs”

“What are we supposed to do? My dad doesn’t exactly care about random ‘sinners’ like her” Charlie’s concern took hold of her, “And we can’t afford to lose her! If she ended up in hell when she wasn’t supposed to then she could be proof of demons being able to move from hell to heaven-!”

“Hm. So no sacrifice then?” Al furrowed his brows

Husk sent him a deadpanned look, “That’d be too easy for ‘em”

“So what’s your idea?” Angel pouted, not exactly thrilled about the situation himself

The cat demon rolled his eyes, “I own the biggest casino in hell. If there’s anyone who knows a thing or two ‘bout gamblin, it’s me”

“Aaaaaaaaahhhhh!” Charlie jumped up and hugged him, “Thank you for doing this Husk! It means so much to the hotel and my cause!”

Husk grunted and pushed her away, “Look I made a deal with the radio fucker over there, and he made a deal with you to help out with this hotel. Not like I got much of a choice”

“And you’re certain there’s not even a single secondary reason?” Alastor smirked

“Is this just gonna be a thing now? Ya gonna be even more of a shit head then usual?” Husk said flatly

“Ah Husker my friend you know me so well”


	6. Spider problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING- THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS DISTURBING CONTENT SUCH AS; SELF HARM, SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, ATTEMPTED SUICIDE, BRIEF MENTIONS OF RAPE AND THE LIKE  
> IF YOU WISH TO SKIP OVER THIS SCROLL DOWN TO THE FIRST TEXT SEPARATOR

It was almost too perfect

Hazel sobbed as the blade stuck right through her abdomen, hands shaking as they hovered around her now fresh wound as if to try and see if any of it was real

She didnt bother crying about for help, muffling her violent sobbing.  
It got harder and harder to breathe and she could herself feeling sick

Her throat burned as she gagged up some blood  
This is....what she deserved. It always was. It was her fault she lost everything to begin with. She hadn’t been strong enough

Why couldn’t she be strong enough?

Only now did the pain in her heart match the pain she physically felt  
It was relieving, in a horrifying way

It didnt feel like Hazel was overreacting. Her pain now equal to what she felt  
She tried to grab hold of the knife’s handle, but her hand wavered so much she couldn’t even get close to grasping it. Lovely.

For a while the bunny demon stared at nothing, feeling the light sting in her eyes and the dull ache she felt from the circles underneath them

Maybe she could finish this.  
God she wanted to finish this

What would be the best way? Stabbing and blood loss would take far too long....

No, Hazel needed a more reliable way to be put to rest

Her legs trembled as if they were made of broken toothpicks  
She didnt want to remember her  
She didnt want to remember the way her fingers trailed down her stomach, and Hazel had asked for her to wait, hesitation and worry in her eyes

She had given herself up so willingly, all because she wanted the intimate affection she had never received before

The bunny demon threw up, this time bile mixing with the blood

She thought she had been getting better, she really did, then her mind betrayed her  
She didnt want to give the impression that anything anyone did was pointless or not enough

Feeling like that far too many times she had grown to absolutely despise it  
Her tear ducts seemed to have gone dry, her stomach acting up again

“Im s- sor-“ This time she felt like she couldn’t breathe, finally collapsing near the balcony  
She kept gagging, pitifully dragging herself closer to the edge

It suddenly felt as if Hazel wasn’t even there anymore, her once well intending gaze now hollow and void of emotion

There was no scowl, there was no pained expression of crying  
Her gaze just seemed....

Empty

She crawled over the edge and let go

The wind she felt against her skin and the blood red sky were the last things she saw

And Hazel was at peace with that

—

The bunny demon awoke with a start, a scream caught in her throat.  
“Dammit....”  
She had long since loathed sleeping, her nightmares plaguing her for a bit after she opened her eyes

With a long sigh she decided to head down to the lobby. She needed a distraction. One that preferably didn’t involve anything sharp

Hazel was maybe about halfway down the stairs when she saw a limping spider quickly treading upwards  
His shoulder seemed dislocated and bruises decorated his body  
“Angel....?”

“Oh- hey toots” The pornstar sent her a weak smile. It seemed to be the best one he could muster at the moment

She frowned, the way he had been desperately getting away from the lobby told her that now may not be the best time to pry  
“You should go rest” Hazel urged, “I bet Fat Nuggets is waiting for you”

Angel’s smile became a tad less strained and he nodded, grateful he didn’t have to be kept from his room a second longer

—

Cherri probably looked strange right now, what with the care basket in hand, but frankly, she could care less. Angel needed her

Her singular eye trailed back down to her phone screen, having received a message not too long ago

‘Hey. Angel doesnt seem to be doing so great. I think he needs a familiar face right now  
Think you can come over?’

The user that had sent the message seemed to be a bunny of sorts. Cherri did remember Angel mentioning one earlier

....Earlier today that is. The spider demon had skipped work

Valentino must have found him

Cherri opened the door and headed into the lobby, glancing around  
It certainly had an aesthetic to it, she’d admit that much

Despite the size of the place the cyclops had long since memorized where Angel’s room was. She was always ready to offer support whenever she could

As Cherri strode down the hall she noticed a little bunny demon holding some blankets and a pig plushie

Sure enough, she was standing in front of Angel’s room

Cherri tilted her head, “Cute pig plush. Is all that for Angie?”

“Mhm.” Hazel nodded, “He seemed really off when he came in earlier....Im just here to drop these off”  
She knocked on the door

“Im comin Im comin!” A voice cracked, sounds of a pig squeaking in concern accompanying it  
“Whaddya wan-?” Angel opened the door  
“Cherri?!”

“Hey Angie!” She beamed, “Brought ya a care package”  
The cyclops held it out towards him

Angel Dust seemed to have trouble processing the gift in that moment, but accepted it happily nonetheless  
“Thanks Chers” He had a bittersweet smile on his face

Hazel smiled sheepishly, “I know it’s not much but....here.” She gave her gift, “Fat Nuggets has a friend now too!”

He froze, staring at the gift as if there was a bomb inside it  
“I- thanks” The spider demon took it with care

Fat Nuggets waddled up to the two girls and squealed in thanks

“Have you been taking care of him?” Cherri knelt down and pet the pig, who nuzzled into her hand gratefully

“Squeal!”

“Imma take that as a yes” Cherri let out a laugh

Hazel smiled warmly and gave a simple wave to Angel before heading back to her own room. She couldn’t force herself to be involved 

“So ya makin these care packages at random now or-“ Angel chuckled, it was hollow, and anyone in their right mind would notice

“Nah” Cherri shook her head, “Got a text. Said you may want a familiar face” She shrugged

The spider demon blinked, having a few ideas of who couldve sent that message but right now all he cared about was that his best friend was here  
He wordlessly pulled her into a hug

Cherri gently pat his back, picking up Fat Nuggets with one arm before setting the pig down on the bed  
She pat the empty space next to her and Angel joined

“Wanna talk about it?”

—

Hazel munched on an ice cream sandwich she had found in the fridge.  
Somehow the frigid sweetness seemed more calming than anything else at the moment

She began to debate on whether or not to bring some up to Angel and Cherri, but she’d rather not interrupt their talk  
Nor did she want her kindness to seem forced

“Everythin’ okay, doll?” Husk watched her pout and eat as if she were downing liquor. Trust me, he had gotten all too used to that look

“I guess” Hazel shrugged, “Kinda mad.”

Alastor sat beside her, “Why on earth would you be mad? It makes it especially difficult to smile you know!” The radio interference added more expression to his tone, as per usual

The bunny demon huffed, “I’m just worried about Angel”

Husk blinked, she hadn’t known him for all that long, how was it possible she cared so much already?

“Ah yes, our effeminate friend” Alastor hummed, “Despite his unsavory taste in humor he is capable of holding his own” He waved off

Hazel rose a brow, she had long since been warned by Vaggie of Alastor’s reasoning for providing for the hotel  
Her gaze trailed back to Husk. It was obvious he knew the radio demon for ages

Was there a soul binding deal of sorts? Was that why Husk couldn’t resist?

She didnt notice Alastor’s shadow slipping to hide within her own

Husk kept his pokerface, he’d now know for sure if Hazel was in danger or not  
The cat demon tried to ignore Alastor’s grin that was somehow widening

Hazel didnt deserve this, he knew that much. Besides, his soul binding contract with Alastor didnt exactly give him a choice  
That was the only reason he was helping so much. Of course it was

“Uh Husk? Did something happen?” Hazel tilted her head, seeing that he was glaring at the radio demon

“Huh?” Husk heard her voice cut through his thoughts  
“Oh yeah I’m fine. Just like glarin at this motherfucker” He gestured to Alastor

He seemed completely unphased by Husk’s comment

Before Hazel could respond, Charlie rushed up to the three  
“Guys guys guys!” The princess grinned, “Guess what, we have a scientist willing to work in the hotel’s lab!”

“A what?” Husk blinked, his tone immediately becoming rather apathetic once more

Alastor chuckled, “You heard her Husker! A scientist to join the staff!”

“A huge part of rehabilitation is to help with drug withdrawals and other physical injuries” Charlie explained, becoming more enthusiastic by the second  
“We just got a message from someone saying they were interested!”

“I thought all the demons here were- suspicious, about your project?” Hazel chose her words carefully, not wanting to hurt the princess

“Oh don’t get it wrong, he’s totally in it for the free lab equipment” Charlie’s smile wavered for a moment, “But it’s better than no one at all!”

“I dunno. I kinda like it when there’s no one at all” Husk grumbled and took a swig of his booze

Hazel snickered a bit, “Does that mean I should pack my things and lea-“

“No” Husk said stubbornly

“Well enough of this chatter, who is our newly deemed member of the hotel?” Alastor’s grin had a slight malicious edge to it

“Oh!” Charlie beamed, “Well, their name is Baxter.........”


	7. First move

Cherri’s single eye was practically pried open, her eyelid heavy as she sat up  
“Ugh....Where fuck-?”  
She glanced around, finding herself in an empty hotel room

Charlie’s hotel, judging by the decor

The cyclops couldn’t remember much beyond coming to visit Angel and provide some comfort  
The last least foggy memory she had was glancing at the clock to see it was three in the morning by the time Angel was asleep

She must’ve passed out shortly after

Yawning, Cherri got up, a bit surprised from how nice the bed felt.  
Certainly was better than the old one she had

Regardless, she had to head back  
She opened her door and casually led herself throughout the halls

That was until Angel Dust came running towards her

Honestly she expected him to give her some crazy ass goodbye mingled with an apology for keeping her up so late, but the horror that took his features said there was something *much* worse

“Uh, Angie? You good?” The cyclops frowned a bit, hands on her hips

“Cherri, I....I’m so sorry” Angel looked like he was on the verge of tears

“Dude it’s okay, I get a lotta sleepless nights, plus Im fine now” She shrugged, “Just gotta head home”

Angel Dust only seemed more distraught by her comment, and behind him stood a certain bunny demon and princess

Okay, NOW she was concerned

“The fuck is goin on?” Cherri huffed a bit, trying to console Angel

“Well, this- I mean I don’t know how to tell you this but uh” Charlie shifted her weight on her feet, biting her lip

Hazel sighed, “Cherri, while we were asleep your apartment was- it was destroyed” 

Her heart suddenly dropped  
“WHAT?!”

Angel forced himself to take calming breaths, thankfully used to putting on the facade of at least not fucking crying  
“Valentino foun’ out where ya were livin’” He explained, using all his arms to hug himself, “Bombed the place thinkin’ he would get rid o’ ya”

“Then why the shit are you apologizing?” The cyclops took this surprisingly well

Angel appeared to be at a loss, “He attacked ya ‘cause yer my friend” He explained, “You’re going through so much shit ‘cause o’ me-“

Hazel took a very concerned Charlie and carefully nudged her away, having the princess follow her into the lobby

“Dude, Im an anarchist, someone was bound to find my place and rip it to pieces eventually” Cherri reassured  
“‘Sides, me comin over to comfort ya saved my life, didnt it?”

The spider demon opened his mouth, only to find he had no words to retort with  
He didn’t seem fully convinced but then again, Cherri hadn’t expected him to be

“Maybe I can stay here?” She suggested, “We can be right across from each other!” 

That seemed to lighten Angel’s mood a bit, “I didn’t think you’d wanna put up with all this redemption shit”

“Meh, it ain’t for me, but if I heard right the first time, this place got free meals, free rent, free protection” Cherri shrugged

Angel Dust seemed hesitant, but the comforting idea of his friend being right there nearby and being protected was incredibly tempting....

“Ya gotta sign in with Charlie at the desk” The spider demon mentioned

She shrugged and headed down into the lobby, giving Angel another reassuring smile

The princess seemed to be discussing things over with Vaggie and Hazel at the moment, but hey, Cherri’s never been one for patience  
“Ay, I wanna check in”

“What?” Charlie and Vaggie said in unison. Though the former had a much more hopeful tone compared to the other’s disbelief

“Listen, this shit ain’t just free meals, free rent and free protection” The moth demon stepped forward, making Cherri roll her eye  
“You gotta actually try to be better, which means no turf wars, no blowing shit up, got it?”

“My name’s Cherri *Bomb* for a reason, dumbass” The cyclops shot back, the cold tone in her voice never wavered

Charlie flinched, desperately trying to come up with some sort of compromise  
“Vaggie....” She gestured her girlfriend to come over  
“Getting another client, especially one like Cherri could actually really help us”

“What?” Vaggie furrowed her brows, “Seriously?”

Hazel sighed, “Charlie’s right. Apparently according to Alastor the people at the news station assumed Angel checked in because he was being bribed with sex”

Vaggie crinkled her nose up in disgust at the memory

“And Cherri’s a wild card, if you two get someone like her to stay without her blowing something up, the thing she likes to do the most, that’ll set a huge statement” The bunny demon finished

Charlie’s eyes practically had stars in them as she looked at Vaggie, “Aaaand Angel having his friend nearby could help with his rehabilitation!”  
Her smile became bittersweet, “Plus we can’t turn someone away, especially with someone who just lost their home and probably a lot of their belongings- not to mention having an overlord after them”

Vaggie groaned, “I can’t believe you two ganged up on me like this....”

“Hey Im just trying to help” Hazel rose her hands in surrender

The moth demon grumbled something inaudible, “Fine, you can stay. But we’ll be keeping close tabs on your behavior”  
Her expression only softened a bit when she saw how excited Charlie was to hand over the key

Cherri quirked a side of her brow and observed it for a moment, “Near Angie’s, right?” She questioned

“Of course!” Charlie beamed

Hazel let out a breath she didnt know she had been holding. She knew how close Angel and Cherri were. 

Maybe instead of drugs, his friend can be what keeps him going

“You sent her the message to have her come over to begin with, didnt ya?” Husk’s voice suddenly came from behind her, making her squeak and jump a bit

“Well- yeah” The bunny demon frowned, “I guess I didn’t realize how good the timing was....” Her voice trailed off as Cherri was out of earshot

The timing was almost *too* coincidental, and Hazel felt a knot of horror curling in her stomach

“Ya okay doll?” Husk cut her out of her thoughts, his expression showing genuine concern

Hazel could almost swear she saw something more, but decided she had likely imagined it  
“Just worried I guess....I mean-“ She glanced around to check if the others were nearby  
“I’m not naive I just....think that a lot of people could try and do shit to me”  
She glanced at the hotel doors

“I ain’t gonna let that happen” Husk said firmly

The bunny demon blinked at the sudden declaration, “Goin soft on me, Husk?”

“Hotel rules, part of Al’s deal. Gotta protect clients” He huffed stubbornly

Hazel let out somewhat hollow laugh, and Husk was quick to notice how tense she seemed

“Where exactly is Angel’s boss?” 

Husk reeled back a bit before his signature poker face was back, somewhat shocked at the bunny asking such a question  
“The fuck you wanna know that for?”

“I saw him come back looking pretty beat” Hazel explained, deciding to remain vague for the sake of giving Angel some privacy

“Ya sure that’s not just the drugs and alcohol?” The cat demon frowned a bit

“I mean- yes and no” Hazel admitted, “I just really feel like there’s something going on”

Husk sighed, one of his ears flicking a bit, “Im sorry to say this, toots, but this is hell, and that creep’s a pornstar. It aint exactly surprisin he’d get pretty messed up”

That made Hazel’s heart sink a bit. She saw how he acted with Fat Nuggets and Cherri!  
“Maybe but he doesn’t deserve this. Where is his boss?” This time, her tone was stern, and much to Husk’s own shock, bloodlust was laced within her words

It took him a moment to recollect himself, “Look doll, I know ya wanna help but his boss is a whole ass overlord. Ya can’t just kill em. Bitch runs the porn industry, and a shit ton’a demons will get pissed”

Hazel’s expression calmed ever so slightly, but there was a plan forming in her mind  
Husk had seen that same expression on Alastor- as much of an expression as he could make out with that constant smile

Still, something in his stomach churned, and it wasn’t that champagne he downed earlier  
“Ya said you never committed any real sin right?”

Hazel blinked, “Well yeah, I never used drugs or murdere-“

“Then please don’t try now, if there’s any chance we can still get ya int’a heaven, I ain’t lettin that chance slide away from us” 

The bunny demon’s expression became almost tender, “Husk, Im just one random sinner. Im sure there are others like me who ended up down here. But Angel’s in pain and Charlie’s been hurt. If there really is no way to get a sinner into heaven, then my fate’s already sealed”

Husk’s ears flattened at how she spoke, like she had long since given up on herself, determined to use her efforts on those she felt had something good ahead of them. Which was apparently everyone but herself 

Hazel sighed, “I just wanna do something....”

“You stayin safe is doin somethin” Husk retorted

Her own ears fell a bit, and she couldn’t help but feel hopeless  
Right- he was doing this because of the deal he had with Alastor  
“Sorry” She apologized, rubbing her arm, “I just don’t like seeing the few good people left get punished when they’re trying to heal....”

Something about her voice sounded reminiscent, one that Husk knew all too well. For one being a bartender, and the other- being a war veteran

His tail swayed like any defensive cat’s would  
“Hey toots?” His voice was surprisingly gentle

“Hm?”

“Think you can finally beat me at poker?”

Hazel blinked in surprise. This time, the laugh that escaped her was warm and real


	8. Don’t make deals with Bambi, kids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Check notes for translations

“Yer fuckin insane” Husk took a swig of his booze, currently putting up with the three demons at his bar

“Always have been and always will be, baby” Angel winked, earning a gagging sound from the bartender

Cherri shrugged, “A good prank always lifted my mood up. We’re totally doin this” She turned, “Ya in Hazel?”

The third demon rose a brow, “You’re asking me to prank the radio demon with you?” She said flatly

“Yeah toots cmon” Angel beamed

Hazel seemed to be on the verge of chastising them for this before shaking her head, “You two go ahead, I don’t wanna push my luck with Al just yet”

“Sayin it again, yer gonna double die” Husk facepalmed, only catching a quick glance of them leaving

“Alright our new scientist should be here in a few hours” Charlie was pacing around the lobby, “Does everything look okay? Is it too empty? Should I help Nifty with the cleani-“

“Hon, breathe” Vaggie kissed her cheek, “Weren’t you scolding me for working to the bone not yesterday?”

The princess opened her mouth to retort, only to pout when she realized she was right  
“Yeah I know but Im just so nervous!” She flapped her hands around to try and get some energy out, “Maybe I can go double check to see if all the medical supplies are still there”

Vaggie sighed, “If it makes you feel better, then sure, dear” She smiled warmly, leading Charlie to the lab

The door opened and Charlie rushed inside, glancing, “Okay medical tools, tech, radiograph, uhm....” She chewed on a scented apple necklace her parents had given her

“Babe, look” Vaggie smiled softly as she gestured to the table the princess had organized a dozen times over  
“It’s all categorized, surgery tools, checkup tools, the meds are all carefully stashed away too” She knocked on the bulletproof cupboard that was so tightly locked

Charlie took a deep breath, “I know....I guess I just- I know he’s only in it for the new lab so I just wanna make sure nothing makes him change his mind”

The moth demon carefully took her hands, seeing if she was allowed to first  
“There’s hardly anyone in the nine circles as kind as you are to provide all this, and for free. I doubt he’d turn away from this”

Charlie smiled a bit, “Yeah....you’re right” She let out a light chuckle  
“Thank you”

“Of course, hon” Vaggie gave her girlfriend a light kiss

—

Angel and Cherri were hiding in one of the offices Alastor commonly used, making sure the devices that were set in place still worked

Cherri bit her lip to try and stay quiet as they sat back and waited

“When do ya think he’s gonna come in?” The cyclops turned to Angel

He chuckled, “Anytime now....”

Sure enough, the door to the office swung open and in walked Alastor.  
He was still in full attire, posture straight and collected as ever....but then again when was he not?

The lights suddenly turned on, appearing as if they were from car headlights

The radio demon suddenly jumped back and froze

Angel was about to let himself howl with laughter, but the next thing he heard was completely unexpected

“FOUT TONÉ!” Alastor’s voice was suddenly void of any radio filter, but the static around him buzzed indigently  
He hissed a bit, “JE VAIS TUER LA SALOPE QUI A FAIT ÇA!”

Cherri’s jaw dropped and Angel stared on in complete shock  
“I-“

Alastor growled, having his shadows block off the light and destroy it’s source. His antlers grew and his eyes became radio dials

Cherri grabbed a speechless Angel and booked it before their target even thought to turn around

“You look traumatized” Hazel deadpanned when she saw them frantically run back

Cherri quickly downed some water, “The fucker started swearin in french or some shit!”

“Since when does he know french?” Angel ran a hand through his hair.  
He suddenly froze as the radio static in the room suddenly shot up, Alastor standing right behind them

“Told ya. Double dead” Husk deadpanned

Oh how embarrassing, and to think Alastor’s mother raised him with class  
Even if he was a serial killer and a cannibal, he always liked to think he was not like rats such as Valentino when it came to swearing and crass attitude

Ċ̸̛͍͇̮͆̽̐̉͊̊͑̎̂͋͠͝ͅR̶̢̳͔̳͈̱̪̤͔̦͓̠̂͗̀̽̉̑̾̃͊̆̚ͅA̸̫͊͒̓̀̈́̈́́̀̃̂̽̅̈͘C̸̛͎̾̂̂̽̀̃̔̊͌̀̏̌͌̆K̵̨̧̨̻̞̝̤̪͍͉̫͙̫̮̑͆

Alastor’s neck practically snapped in two, grin impossibly wide and somehow more menacing as his fangs grew sharper

Angel felt himself tremble as a garbled radio voice filled the lobby, growing deeper with each word and growl

Ḭ̵̡͔̈́f̷̗̣̰̈ ̸̢̆y̶̢̟̆ō̷͚̪͑͝u̸̖̍ ̵̙̖͎̒e̷͈̔̀v̴̩̗͖͘e̷͕̱͎̒r̵̥̠̣͌͌̒ ̷̡̳̈́̂ť̴̛̤̲r̷͐͂̿͜y̷̜̟̽̈̌ ̶̟͋̈́̐t̸̥́̈͘h̷̩̭̊͘á̷̰̾̚t̶͖̲̝͂̑̇ ̶̨̨̯̓̃ȯ̷̭́̃n̴̡̓́ ̸̗͛̉͜m̵̦̅͒͑ȅ̶̡̟̗̿͘ ̴̩̍͘a̶̦̿̄͂g̴̡̹̖̿â̶̤ì̵̺n̸̨̛͙̈-̷̝̜̕ ̸̺̗͆Ì̴̱͖ ̵̻̥̌͝w̴͙͂̎̏ḯ̵̜́͊l̷̢̨̹͊l̵̯̿̎ ̴̝̘̄p̶̺̗̓̋̂ͅṛ̵͈̽ô̶̳̝̩̓v̸̝͕̈͝é̸̥͌͘ ̷̢͒ȁ̴̫͜l̵̥̑͑l̷̲̈́ ̵͈͆ͅt̴̬͑͝h̷͍̱̾e̸̮̝̽̇̆ ̷̭̀̾͝d̵̡̬̒̐̀o̸̫̽̑ṷ̴͖̥̔̒b̵͊̊͜t̴͎̘̓͗ͅe̶͓͔͒͗̂͜r̶̨͓̬͊s̴̗͌̚ ̴̛͍͛͑w̶̯̋̃̕r̷͖̣̮̋͝ò̴̭̣̺̂ń̷̡g̷̛̪̯̅ ̶̺̰͔̀̏t̴̨̓́͠ḧ̸̠͐ả̷͇̉t̸̹̿͐͒ ̶̯̏ÿ̴̞͍ö̴̝͉́̍u̴̩̹̅̈́̇.....

The voice was almost incomprehensible by now

Ċ̶̡͙̝̓̋͒̃͠Á̴̖͙͛̍͌̚͜N̷̦̟̠̊̿̍̀̈́̅ ̶͇́͒̀̅̅̕D̸̳͈͓̾́̋̓͜Ì̴͕̯̐̇͜Ḛ̴̤̐ ̸̯̰͈̟̪̄̎̅͊͝T̸̰̪̰̜̥͑̀W̸̳̖̲͓̉Ì̸̠̭͋C̷̪̩̪̈͒Ė̶̛͎͔̇̈́̀͒

“.....So my room’s lookin real comfy right now” Cherri tried to side step away from the situation

Angel gulped, “So- didn’t know ya spoke french”

“Angel!” Cherri whisper shouted, grabbing his arm and dragging him off  
“What the fuck man? Ya *tryin* to die on me?”

He rose all four arms up in surrender, “Sorry toots! I just been here for a while now and that’s the first time he spoke anythin other than english”

Cherri stared, “You’re shittin me”

“Hey he’s secretive as fuck” Angel waved off as if it were no big deal, picking up Fat Nuggets once they entered his room

“Damn. Didn’t ya offer to suck his dick the moment he walked in here?” The cyclops smirked

“HA! YA SHOULDA SEEN THE LOOK ON HIS FACE!” Angel wheezed, “I’ve never seen a man panic like that and *deny* a blowjob”

Cherri laughed and sat down next to him, “Everythin goin alright this month?”

The spider demon paused, closing his mouth and crossing his legs  
“Yeah- been alright. ‘Least I got the tools ta help me ease off on the cramps down here”

Cherri hummed, “There’s chocolate in the care basket if ya wanna-“

Angel was already scarfing it down

“-Nevermind” She shook her head

Angel sighed by the time he was done, one hand going to his stomach, the other going to pet Fat Nuggets, and a third to poke his friend’s face  
“No one else knows yet, right?”

“Nah” Cherri reassured, “But I thought Charlie and that moth bitch would know- since they got your files and shit”

“....”

“Angie?”

“.........”

“You didn’t tell em did ya?”

Angel’s expression scrunched up a bit, “What am I supposed to tell em? I was born with a dick *and* a pussy?”

She lay down beside him, “It’s called bein intersex, it ain’t somethin to be ashamed of”

“Yeah it is. One of the reasons big V hired me is because I can “‘cater’ to everyone, angie baby”” He huffed, mocking Valentino’s voice, “All because o’ these stupid dna strands and their bullshit”  
He tried to ignore how his eyes became glassy for a moment, “....Ya think god made me like this because he knew I’d be nothin but a whore....?”

“Angel.” Cherri suddenly sat up, tone serious and firm  
“You’re not a whore. You’re in the rat’s shitty business because ya didn’t have any other way to make money”

“Yeah and now I can’t back out. The bitch has my soul via contract. You know this” Angel trembled a bit  
“I chose to sign that contract. I feel so gross....”

“Did ya-“

“Yeah I took a shower. Least four.” He groaned, “Downed some cold water too. Helps a lil, but fuckin hell....”

Cherri sighed, “I really wanna help ya get outta that contract Angel. Val’s not gonna stop this, ever. I don’t want ya to keep goin through this”

Angel Dust let out a bitter laugh, “Well Im outta ideas”

The piglet beside them frowned at their tones, going over and booping them with his snout  
He squealed and chuffed a bit to try and cheer him up

“Aw, Nuggies!” Cherri giggled, Angel smiling just a bit

Just a bit would be enough, at least for now

—

Alastor twirled his mic rather professionally, fully recovered from the ‘deer in headlights’ incident a few hours ago. He clearly found it less than amusing, having become even more irritated when he noticed how Angel and Cherri where there to wittiness him losing his composure with the creole french that slipped through

He heard mumbles down the hall and one of his ears twitched and turned a bit to find the source

Angel’s room

His upper lip formed a slight sneer amongst the ever present smile. Though it had become much more forced

However when the door opened he hadn’t expected to see Angel in such a....lowly state

His hair was ruffled, shoulders sagging, he wasn’t even wearing the usual revealing clothing!

Al’s interest piqued considerably  
The only explanation for this sudden change in attitude of course had to be something he had been hiding for a while now  
_How curious_

“Angel?” He stuck out his mic in front of the spider demon, whom nearly tripped over it  
He would have had he not heard the other’s voice

“Hey Bambi” Angel tried to force up a teasing smile onto his face

It was too bad Alastor was an expert on reading people  
“Now now my dear, I know a fake smile when I see one. Is the lack of a smile trying to make up for the fact that you’re actually fully dressed at the moment?”  
A laugh track played in the background, his eyes half lidded

“Ha. Ha ha. Very funny. Im laughing” Angel couldn’t stop the sour comment but at this point he could care less  
“I just wanna get some damn orange juice”

“Hm. Yes well, I’d also like to speak with you” His expression never changed

The radio demon was sometimes impossible to read

Angel stared at him, starting to walk down the hall  
“Talk to me ‘bout what?” He knew Alastor would follow him anyway

“Well I happened to be walking by and I just barely heard you mumble something regarding a contract” He clasped his hands behind his back  
“I didn’t catch anything else beyond mumbles, however-“

Static practically buzzed in the air for a split second

“It has come to my attention you don’t seem very happy with the agreement”

Angel was silent, he had stopped trying to smile and sent Alastor a sharp look  
“I hope ya weren’t eavesdropping or some creepy shit”

“Nonsense, my dear! I don’t care to listen into your conversations seeing how....” He shuddered, “ _Lewd_ you can be”

That made Angel laugh a bit, “Yeah that checks out”  
The radio demon always bristled and found an excuse to get at least five feet away whenever Angel made comments like that  
“How’d ya become so powerful in a place like hell when ya so put off by se-“

“ **ANYHOW** -“ Alastor quickly interrupted, making Angel smirk a bit  
“As far as Im concerned contracts can only be formed by overlords”

“Yeah, and?”

“Have you ever considered it could be overridden by a contract with _another_ overlord?”

Angel suddenly stopped walking  
“Ya can’t guarantee that” He turned to face him, “Val would be up my ass anyways if I tried”

Alastor rolled his eyes, “Dear, sweet Angel, he won’t be able to get to you if you play your cards right~ Perhaps Husker could help you in that matter!”

Another laugh track

Angel facepalmed, “Okay say I do take your deal, what would ya even want from me and WHY would ya wanna do this for me at all?”

“Hm. Smarter than I gave you credit for....” Al mumbled, only making the other narrow his eyes  
“Simply the same reason I’ve decided to invest in the hotel!”

“Yeah? Entertainment? Answer my other question then. If I took the deal, what would ya want from me?” Angel asked sternly, a wary glare aimed at the radio demon

Alastor chuckled, “But a single favor!”

“Nuh uh, nona that vague shit. Specify bitch. What kinda favor?” His shoulders squared up, suddenly he was a newfallen, a poor spider demon on his knees sobbing, crying out for his twin sister, pleading for her to forgive him

He hadn’t forgotten the way Valentino loomed over him that day, the way his voice lured him into a place he thought he’d be adored

Instead he went right into the lion’s den

Now here he was again, broken even more than before, to which he never thought was even possible, and being offered a way out

Angel bit his lip as he considered his options. Cherri was right, Valentino would never willingly give up his cash cow.

With Alastor being the prude gentleman he was he knew he wouldn’t be sexually abused under his care-

Then again this was a fucking _cannibal_ they were talking about  
What if he took the deal only for Al to fucking eat his limbs?

“Just an fyi, spider meat tastes gross as shit and we got venom” He deadpanned

Alastor froze for a moment before he threw his head back, barking out laughter  
“HA! Mon ange you think Im going to eat you?”

“You’re a cannibal! Ya eat demons! Are ya really surprised by this?” Angel spoke up in his defense, suddenly feeling embarrassed

The radio demon shook his head, “No no my dear, I have plenty of other demons to feast on and torture”

“So what ya ain’t gonna torture me either? What’s your deal then? The fuck kinda favor you want?” Angel grew impatient

“I have reason to believe Vox is in cahoots with the angels, and in turn, Valentino as well” His head tilted, charming smile never fading

Angel’s eyes widened, “Wait- where’d ya- how’d ya-“

“I have my ways, chéri” Al smirked, tapping his microphone. Not to check the feedback, but to show the signals were what gave him the suspicion

He opened and closed his mouth in utter shock for a minute  
“Wait wait wait wait. Are you sayin this favor is for me to spy on em for ya?”

“I have never been fond of the walking picture show” Alastor waved off, “So to humiliate someone like him would be such a perfect opportunity!”

Recorded applause played

Angel quirked a brow, “Ya know they’d wanna fuckin kill me if they foun’ out I was relayin shit back to ya”

“Precisely why I’ve decided to make this deal. I get to humiliate the flatscreen, you get to get to escape that pimp of yours” Al chuckled

The spider demon glared, “Where’s the fine print then? Ya know, the terms and conditions?”

Alastor’s smirk became almost sultry  
How he acted like that and expected for anyone to not be sexually attracted to him was beyond Angel

“My only terms, or fine print, if you wish to specify, is for you to work for me.  
I hear you were in the mafia when you were alive, yes?”

Angel frowned, “I- well yeah.”

“Then that is all I ask of, my dear” Alastor waved off

The spider demon was at a loss  
“Why?”

Al’s hand began to glow green, outstretched towards Angel’s  
A surge of energy shot through the halls

“Simple, chéri” His voice became a low growl, “W̴̥̪̙̆̇̾h̴̼͓̺̓͋͆a̶̭̿ṫ̷͈̗̈́̎ ̶̗̒͂c̴̡̫̫͝o̵̭͚̠̔ů̴̹͐̅ĺ̵͙͚̕ḍ̷̲͈̂ ̵͚͙̬̇p̴̯̥͊o̵̩͂͘s̷̤͒͛s̴͎̬̃̽̆í̸̞ḅ̵̧̎l̴̰̪̉ŷ̸͈͜ ̷̩̀b̵̼͒͐ę̵͙̓̌ ̶̤̙̑͐̚ḿ̷̯̀ȏ̸̗͐r̶̢̬̭͋ẽ̶͚̍ͅ ̸̧̛e̵̖͠ń̴̝̗͗t̴͕͌̿ë̶̡͇̬́̋́ŗ̶͔͚̑t̸̪̃̊̏a̵͓̻̘͋̉i̷͔̙͈̍́n̴̯̠̮͠î̴̖̚ň̸̹g̶̭͇̲͌͆ ̴̗̩͚̓̄̌t̶̫̔͋̇h̵̼͒e̴͔̘̼̍́͐ň̷̮̋̃ ̵̱̾̾t̵̼͎̙̿ả̶̯́ḵ̸̈́͗̕ī̶̥ͅṇ̵̓g̴̩̼͂ ̴̡̡̄̓o̴͉̲̥̓n̶̟̬͗̂ ̶̖͂̔t̶̙͚͕̽̔͝w̴̬͝o̴̠̟̕ ̴̠͍͂o̶̬̓͐̃v̸͕̱̭̀͋e̴͉̟̓͋r̴͈͗l̴̥̞̓̌̒ȯ̴̘̰̻̕r̶͙̜͔̐́̊d̷͎̭̀̏s̴͚̳̒ͅ ̵̻̝̣́̇̾a̶͔͘n̷̦̗̥͌d̴̟̹̓ ̸̢̗̍ẗ̷͓̭́͛̽h̸͚͔̾̓͜e̷̛̺̯ ̷̧̠̄̕͝a̷͈̒̚n̵͓͇̓g̴͔̿̀̓ḙ̶̛͋l̵͎̖̍͝s̷̹͚̹͛ ̴̻͔̯̀̽̐t̶̫̪̉͝h̵̻̝͝ë̴̝͍̹́̀m̸͓͆̆͗s̷̨̙͕͌͋͝e̸̻̜͊͜l̸̮͚̂̓̄v̵͕̂è̵̞̭̑͠s̴̳̿?̷͇͎͖̅”

Angel stared at his glowing hand, his heart pounding  
If he took this deal, there was no going back. The risk would be too much

But if he denied it....he’d never get away from Valentino  
And maybe, just maybe, he could help the hotel, Charlie, Cherri, and hopefully Hazel....

He trembled a bit as he took Alastor’s hand.  
“Deal”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOUT TONÉ = FUCKING SHIT
> 
> JE VAIS TUER LA SALOPE QUI A FAIT ÇA = I'M GOING TO KILL THE SLUT WHO DID THIS
> 
> Mon ange = My angel
> 
> Cheri = Sweetheart or darling


	9. Feelings are overrated

Cherri groaned as she awoke for the fourth time that night

Of course along with the strict policies against violence, drugs were off the table

Best she could do is ‘behave’ and get some ‘redemption points’ just to get some booze

It was a tiring routine

“How did Angie put up with this?” She groaned, putting a hand to her forehead

“Fuck”

The cyclops got up and carefully opened the door, trying not to make a sound as she snuck down into the lobby

Maybe she could swipe a drink for herself

Yeah Vaggie would be on her ass about it, but damn she couldn’t handle going cold turkey

Cherri desperately tried not to alert Husk as she reached for a bottle

“Breaking already?” A voice made her jolt

Had it not been for her excessive use of stealth practice, she probably would’ve let out a loud yelp

An aquatic demon stood a few feet away, lab coat and goggles were the two most prominent things he was wearing at the moment

“You’re the new scientist ain’t ya?” Cherri noted immediately

“No Im a fuckin stripper” He drawled sarcastically, “Yes Im the new scientist”

Cherri choked back some laughter at the comment, “Right, whatever” She grabbed a bottle

“Tell anyone you saw this shit and I’ll cut your dick off”

“Good fucking luck” He shot back with a surprising amount of snippiness

The cyclops tilted her head, “Ya know for someone who ain’t much for physical combat, you got some balls talkin to me like that”

“You’re not gonna blow the place up” He responded dryly, “We’re here for more or less the same reason”

Cherri fell silent at that, taking another swig from the bottle

“What’s your name anyways?”

The other demon scoffed, “We’re doing kindergarten introductions now?” He rolled his eyes

“Baxter”

“Cherri.” She hummed

The demon, now confirmed to be Baxter, rose a brow, “The same bitch that news anchorman talked about pegging?”

_That_ made her choke a little, the alcohol not helping with the way it burned her throat

“Fuckin- that twink couldn’t peg me if he tried”

“Figured as much” He shrugged off handedly, still seemingly settling in

One thing that stood out to Cherri was that Baxter appeared to be a professional- so why volunteer here?

She set the bottle down, “Ya know you could work somewhere where ya actually get paid”

He sent her a sharp look, the cyclops trying not to snicker as she recognized him as an angler fish now that she looked at him more closely

“You think hell has hospitals?”

Cherri snorted, “Touché” She shrugged.

He wasn’t exactly wrong- hell was overpopulated as is. For places like hospitals to exist were ridiculous. After all, most if not all the demons were assholes that would just hurt others

There was no worth in saving them

“Why’d ya take up bein a scientist anyway?” Cherri found herself asking

Baxter hummed lightly, “Experimentation”

This piqued her interest

The cyclops found herself putting in a surprising amount of effort into hiding foul play

“Can I check em out sometime?”

He blinked in surprise, as if that was the last thing he expected her to ask

After long painful minutes of silence, Cherri begun to think maybe he just decided to withdraw himself

Once again she was proven wrong with his voice suddenly snapping her out of her reverie

“Don’t touch my shit”

“So is that a yes-?” The cyclops smirked a bit- it was fun to get on this guy’s nerves

Baxter glared, “It’s a yes, but if you fuck anything up you’ll be my next experiment”

“Kinky” Cherri finally let herself laugh, not missing how the aquatic demon rolled his eyes

—

Angel groaned as he heard someone knocking at his door

“ChaCha Im kinda not in the mood to talk redemption right now”

“My, what a charming little nickname. Rather unnecessary regardless” A radio filtered voice suddenly had the spider demon wide awake

He leapt off his bed, opening the door

“Al?”

Alastor’s expression was in its usual creepy smile. Best way Angel could describe it was cold and calculating. Unnerving for sure

‘And hot’ his mind supplied

He shook his head, “Uh, what’s up?”

The radio demon had made an effort to look at anything but Angel

“First get dressed. You’re rather....indecent at the moment”

“Huh-?” Angel blinked before realizing he wore rather lose shirts upon going to sleep

Among the fact he wasn’t wearing a bra

“Like what ya see, smi-“

Radio static cut him off, “Get changed. NOW”

Well, count Angel down for being both scared and horny

But even he knew when it got too much

“I was just messin ya know”He spoke as he wore something less revealing

  
Alastor sighed, averting his gaze from Angel and glanced around the room

He had been expecting a sight that would make him cringe and immediately rush out while gagging, but much to his surprise there weren’t any profane posters hung up. Nothing sexual as far as he could tell. And the room was shockingly clean

It was dimly lit, proceeding a calming aura as Al noticed the poster of Fat Nuggets, rainbow string lights hung everywhere, and a pink neon sight titled ‘Love 💖’

The radio demon glanced at the chalkboard, expecting maybe some inappropriate drawings, only to reel back at the single word written

‘Breathe’

Okay, that was....shockingly cute and innocent of Angel Dust

The spider demon quickly picked up Fat Nuggets when he saw Alastor eyeing him like he was breakfast

“Don’t you dare”

“A rather shameful waste of bacon of you ask me, my dear” His smile became far more teasing, certainly more playful

Angel took a mental note to learn Alastor’s different smiles

“He ain’t just bacon. He’s my nug nugs” He huffed and ‘Nug Nugs’ squeaked happily in response

“Yes yes” He waved off indigently, deciding to explain why he was there now that Angel was dressed “Charlie sent me to fetch you. You’ve slept in”

The spider demon practically felt his heart stop

”Wait- _**what?!**_ “

Alastor blinked, not having expected such a strong reaction  
Well this was certainly interesting

Angel practically flung himself over, grabbing his phone as he tried to keep himself from trembling

His knees buckled when he saw the texts, each message growing more irritated than the last

“Nonononono” Angel’s breaths became labored, “God no- what time is it?!”

Alastor rose a brow, unused to seeing him so....terrified, “Well if you must know, it’s precisely one pm!”

**”WHAT?!”**

The spider demon all but _screamed_ , rushing down the stairs so quickly he skipped at least five steps, stumbling on his heels as he crashed to the ground

The fall hurt, but it’d be next to nothing once Val was done with him

”Shitshitshit _shitshitshit **FUCKING HELL**_ ” Angel trembled, practically falling over again  
  


”Angel?! What’s going on?!” Charlie rushed over, sighing in relief as she saw Hazel help him up

Cherri suddenly began to choke on her drink, “SHIT ANGIE YOU’RE STILL HERE?!”

Angel nodded, not being able to form coherent words beyond strings of profanity and prayers beneath his terrified sobs

”Easy- just breathe” Hazel kept her voice steady, “Repeat after me- In, and out. We’ll figure this out. You’ll get through this, and you’ll be okay”

Husk’s ear twitched at how seemingly skilled the bunny was at handling such breakdowns. It made him wonder....

”Why Angel my good fellow, why the panic?” Alastor appeared beside them, “Im sure you’ll be able to make up for the time you’ve lost!”

  
“No....p-please no....” Angel felt nausea pang his chest, bile building up in his throat

”Angie? ANGEL!” Cherri helped Hazel balance him, “Hey it’s gonna be okay, we can figure out an excuse!”

”I can give you the money you lost-“ Charlie suggested, “If that helps?”

The spider demon felt so pathetic right now, but honestly, if he did get that cash Val might go easier on him....

He gave a silent nod

Hazel tensed, she knew who Angel’s boss was, and how he always seemingly got his way- Fuck. She had to help get him out of this

Cherri glanced at her and the two may as well have telepathically agreed on that

Alastor furrowed his brows, that would put their plan behind some, though an unconscious demon couldn’t give information he supposed

”Well then Angel it seems you’ll be having a day off!”

Angel didn’t dare look up

He was so royally fucked


	10. Bittersweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING ⚠️ NON CON THEMES AND HEAVILY IMPLIED RAPE  
> IF YOU WISH TO SKIP THIS SCROLL DOWN TO THE FIRST TEXT SEPARATOR  
> 

Angel shuddered as he held the envelope filled with cash close to his chest, hiding it between fluff and breasts

Even with the bribe money, he knew damn well Valentino wouldn’t be pleased

He’d get pissy, say he’d need to set an example

The spider trembled, walking into the studio- Immediately his face scrunched up in disgust before he forced himself to look far more apathetic about the whole thing

He walked right by the front desk without a second thought, entering the elevator

Gaudy, Alastor may have called it

And it was, what with the fake jewels and shiny decor

Angel sighed, he had to face Val eventually, and if he got through all this he wouldn’t ever have to deal with him again

That seemed to be a strong enough motivator

The doors opened

Aaaand motivation jumped out the window, called a cab and dipped

“C’mere Angel cakes~”

He tried to ignore how he was shaking like a leaf and obliged

“You wanna know why daddy’s in a bad mood~?” Valentino purred, eyes gleaming with constrained rage

Angel silently nodded

“ _ **I didn’t hear you**_ ”

“Y-yes daddy” He swallowed back the burning in his throat as he said those words

He tensed even more when he saw how Valentino pat his lap, indicating he sit down on it

The spider knew he didn’t have a choice

“You humiliated daddy in front of the camera men yesterday” Val’s voice became more clipped, irritation slipping through

Angel hung his head, reaching for the envelope

He let out a cry when a sharp grip on his wrist nearly snapped it in half

“Your slutty ass really trying to play with yourself **now**?” The pimp growled

“N-no mista Val!” He stuttered, “I was just gettin somethin for ya!”

“You think I’d reward you after what you did?” Valentino shoved him to the ground

“Fuck no.”

Angel felt his breathing become shallow, messily reaching into his chest and pulling out the envelope

“Here-!”

Val snatched it, “The fuck is this?!”

“T-the money I owe ya....” The spider tried to stay as calm as possible

Valentino narrowed his eyes and began counting, claws flipping through the bills like they may be laced with a poison

“Daddy appreciates this....” He placed the money inside his coat, waiting for Angel to sigh in relief

“But you still hu **MILATED HIM IN FRONT OF SOME LOWLIFE SHITHEADS**!”

Angel yelped as his chest fluff was suddenly grabbed and yanked, harshly biting the inside of his cheeks to avoid from crying out

“Ya know what happens now Angel baby~” Valentino’s tone was carnal, to which the spider had long since learned to fear

“P-please....it won’t happen again Val- I-I promise!” He pleaded

His cries went silent as his head was slammed into the desk

“Shut the fuck up. You think I’ll take a whore’s word?”

Angel whimpered, only to find responding was a mistake as his hair was harshly pulled, and his face slammed into the desk again

His face twisted, feeling tears threatening to spill

The spider heard the sound of a belt being undone and pants being unzipped

He knew by now that all he could do was stay still and cry in silence

—

Hazel was madly tapping away at her phone, “You said the studio was further down east?” She turned to Cherri, who nodded

“I wish I could just fuckin blow the place up” She grumbled

The bunny sighed, “Something tells me cutting off hell’s porn supply isn’t gonna put any of the other demons in a good mood”

“That’s the pissy part” Cherri huffed, “Plus there’s Vox backin him up”

Alastor’s ear twitched a bit as he heard the two girls talking

His smile remained relaxed as he stayed within earshot, tilting his head a bit

“Ya gonna order a fuckin drink or what?” Husk deadpanned at the deer

He hummed, “A glass of bourbon, my friend”

The drink was already prepared and slid across the table- Husk seemed to know Al’s orders by heart

His gaze landed on Hazel

“I dunno what happened to her when she was alive, but she’s pretty fuckin’ insistent ‘bout throwing Val to the wolves”

Alastor chuckled, “The roach doesn’t deserve a proper death” He took a sip, “Then again the wolves may throw him right back up”

Husk rolled his eyes, “Ya made another deal didn’t ya?”

The cat had known Alastor long enough- at least to know when he was on edge and when he was scheming

“Ah, yes, with our arachnid friend” He sighed, “Seemed quite cautious of the terms”

“Angel? Cautious?” Husk echoed in disbelief

Al chuckled, “Vox can’t hide everything. Not forever”

“‘Ya remember what happened last close call y’had” Husk reminded him in an almost scolding manner

Alastor fell silent, the grip on his mic suddenly tightening

“Yes Husker. I remember”

The front doors suddenly closed

“HEY!” Cherri shouted, “WHAT THE FUCK, MAN?”

Al turned, “Apologies my dear, but under no circumstances are you allowed to go after Valentino”

“WHY NOT?!” The cyclops felt her body tense and her stomach twist

“I CANT JUST SIT HERE WHILE ANGIE GETS FUCKED OVER!”

Vaggie glared, pointing her spear at her

“You’re a client that’s supposed to be redeeming themselves. Violence is not on the list of redeeming qualities”

Hazel suddenly felt a surge of rage stab her heart

“Outta the way, asshole” Cherri tried to shove her aside, only for the tip of Vaggie’s blade to graze her skin

“Hazel....?” Husk rose a brow when he saw how rigid she had gone, her breath quickening like she was going to fall to the ground and hyperventilate

Fuck, he knew what that meant

“No....”

“What?” Vaggie turned

Hazel glared, her sclera turning pure black

“I said **no** ”

She tore the spear out of her hands

“I don’t care what bullshit excuses you throw at me, _I WONT BE LIKE THEM_!”

Her voice quivered, but for a moment, she sounded absolutely feral

Deafening silence consumed the hotel

The bunny stepped back upon realizing what she’d done, horror gracing her features

“I-“

“Hazel Im sorr-“ Vaggie couldn’t finish as she ran off, stumbling up the stairs

Alastor turned his head, brow raised in curiosity

Red wings suddenly blinded his vision, and he saw Husk flying up after her

For the first time in years he could see the genuine fear in his eyes

“Hazel????” Husk knocked on her door, his tail swaying anxiously

Sobs and hiccups came from the other side

“Im sorry....I’m so sorry I was being so fucking stupid-“

The cat bit his lip and sighed

“No....ya ain’t stupid....” He sat down on the ground, letting a stream of peaceful quiet flow between them

“I- get like that too sometimes” He admitted, voice more gentle than even he was expecting

“What do you mean?” Hazel turned a little towards the door

“The panic attacks” Husk lightly tapped his claws atop his other hand

“They ain’t fun. ‘S why I drink so much”

“Something really bad happened when you were alive, huh?” Her tone was hushed

Husk let out a bitter laugh, “‘Really bad’ is kinda an understatement, doll”

His smile faded all too quickly

“I was in the army”

Hazel froze, “What....?”

“Vietnam war” He explained, “Was sent there to fight a few decades after Al died”

The bunny had seen pictures and heard stories of how scarring that war had been, and she felt her nails dig into her palms

He was such a closed off person, how could he trust her with this?

“You and Al....were friends in the living world?” Hazel sounded unsure

Husk gave a nod, though he knew she couldn’t see it

“Moved ta New Orleans for a chunk’a my life. Met him there” He looked away, “Had ta book it when people began ta find the corpses of the stupid fucks he killed”

“I did always want to visit New Orleans-“ Hazel admitted, “Though it definitely sounds less pleasant now that you mention the corpses”

He laughed, “Normally the gators eat em when Al’s not feelin hungry- but a buncha other hunters killed a lotta them off”

“Cannibal-” The bunny stated, “Al was a cannibal?”

“Yeah”

“....Did he ever tell you what humans taste like?” She asked awkwardly

Husk was silent for a solid minute before he laughed

“I am _not_ planning to try it” Hazel affirmed, “Just curious”

His laughter finally died down, “Salty chicken, dependin on the poor sap’s diet”

“Ewwww”

Husk let out another chuckle, “Never into it either. The sick fuck offered but I’d rather stick ta normal food thank ya very much”

Hazel smiled a bit and her expression softened, “You’re really brave you know....”

“Me?” He blinked, “Im a fuckin gamblin drunk. Don’t see how that makes me brave”

“I mean after everything you’ve been through you’re still here” The bunny explained, “You’ve managed to reunite with your old friend and make a new one” She sighed, referring to Nifty

“After everything, even while being a ‘gamblin drunk’- you still hold on to some sense of being human”

Husk smiled warmly, “Ya sure you’re not some kinda empath?”

“Pffft. I’ve been told I could be one” Hazel hummed

A beat of silence

“Do you think Angel’s gonna be okay?”

Husk frowned, he knew this meant a lot to her for whatever reason

“Al made a deal wit’ him, so long as he’s under his protection, we’ll figure somethin out”

She nodded, “Thank you....for trusting me” Hazel mumbled

Something about the warmth in her voice made his heart skip a beat

“Gotta take care of each other”

The door opened and Hazel flung herself into a hug with him

“Dumbass” She murmured into his fur

“Careful with the insults, cottonball. I might change my mind” He said jokingly

Hazel rolled her eyes and gave him a light pat on the head

“No you won’t”

“Yeah, I won’t”

—

Cherri was pacing in the lobby, her legs burning from how tired they were

“Any luck?”

“No” Hazel shook her head, “His phone isn’t on, I can’t use the locator”

“Shit....”

When the doors finally opened Cherri practically fell on her face

“ANGE-“ All hope left her

“A-Angel....?”

The spider demon’s legs were shaking like crazy, blood leaking through his fur and bruises all over his body

“H-hey toots” He greeted the two girls before collapsing

“ANGEL!”

—

Husk pressed a warm cloth to Angel’s forehead, “Lost ‘bout a fourth of his blood” The cat frowned, “No wonder he couldn’t stay conscious”

“ _I KNEW WE SHOULD’VE GONE AND BEAT THAT BASTARD UP_ ”

Cherri snarled

Charlie chewed on her lip, guilt panging at her and Vaggie

Hazel placed a hand on her shoulder, “He’ll get what’s coming to him

And we’ll make sure Angel wi-“

“May I, my dear?”

Radio feedback suddenly caused everyone except Husk to jump in surprise

Alastor took that as a yes and stepped forward, “How intriguing” He tutted, “This certainly explains Angel’s rather abrupt outburst this afternoon”

His voice lost it’s usual host cheer, but otherwise, he sounded as he always did

“Well we can’t afford to lose the hotel’s first client now can we?”

The wendigo clenched his fist, a drop of blood dripping down

Static filled the air, and strange symbols surrounded Angel

A red glow came from his hand as he hovered it over the spider’s injuries, allowing them to fade

“There we are!” His voice immediately became chipper again, twirling his mic

“He didn’t get into another turf war, did he?” Vaggie’s rhetorical tone already gave away the answer

“No Im afraid not!” Alastor’s grin remained neutral, “It does seem as if Angel’s schedule is perhaps more strict than I would’ve imagined”

Charlie averted her gaze, the ground suddenly seemed very interesting

“We’ll have to do what we can then....”

Nifty’s grumbling could be heard from the distance, cleaning Angel’s blood off the lobby carpet

“Maybe we could sic Nifty on ‘im” Husk half joked. The idea of such a small demon going feral on Valentino was tempting

“Not a bad idea” Cherri crossed her arms, though Baxter’s voice rang in her mind

 _‘Experimentation_ ’

Oh that gave her an even better idea

Alastor’s shadow peeked out from Hazel’s, a look of genuine concern on it’s face as it stared at Angel

Al’s ears flattened against his head and he sneered at it, telling the shadow to go right back to it’s post

It did, but not before huffing sassily

—

Charlie was in her office, going through papers to try and come up with a rehabilitation plan for Angel, Vaggie by her side

Cherri had passed out in her room, and Nifty fell asleep in the lobby after cleaning the blood stains

The only ones awake were Husk and Hazel

The latter faced her shadow with a quirked brow

“Hey Shady”

No response

“What’re ya doin?” Husk’s brows raised

“Shady!” The bunny waved her arms at the shadow

“Ya look like an idiot”

Hazel ignored him, “Ugh, cmon Shady I saw you earlier”

Finally, Alastor’s shadow peeked out of her own, looking confused

“Im not an idiot” She crossed her arms, “Look, can you just keep an eye on Angel for the night? He’s been through a lot”

It tilted it’s head

“Please? Pretty please with sugared beignets on top?” Hazel pouted

Husk choked on his booze

The shadow seemed to sigh in defeat, slithering off towards Angel’s room

“‘Pretty please with sugared beignets on top’?” Husk stifled his laughter

“Fuck, ya know how ta bribe the radio demon now”

“As Tiana once said, the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” Hazel beamed

“Pft, who?”

The bunny felt a bittersweet smile crawl onto her face

“I’ll show everyone later”


End file.
